The objectives of this project are: (1) to identify, adapt and pretest methods of measuring the bacterial and chemical composition of dental plaque and saliva and (2) to conduct short-term clinical studies of agents which might be capable of restricting dental plaque and caries. The present pilot studies investigated the time course of fluoride following various types of fluoride treatment. The first study investigated the pharmacokinetics of a fluoride treatment. The first study investigated the pharmacokinetics of a fluoride releasing device immediately after attachment. Fluoride levels increased were markedly elevated in saliva within an hour of attachment. However, much of the fluoride remained near the point of device attachment. The second study investigated the effect of two gel regimens on oral and systemic fluoride levels. These two regimens were similar except that in one regimen, the treatment was followed by thorough oral rinsing with water. This pilot evaluation indicates that the no-rinse procedure (unlike the rinse procedure) markedly elevates the fluoride level in the serum and urine. Both gel regimens provide markedly increased fluoride levels in the saliva